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			Goblin Slayer
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GAME DESCRIPTION
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Goblin Slayer is a quick and easy to play fantasy boardgame of
underground combat for two players.

One player controls the evil denizens of Snarlsbad Cavern, a
numberless horde of goblins who jealously guard a fabulous object
called the Shimmering Widget.

The other player controls Stormbeard the dwarf, armed with his
legendary battleaxe, who must enter Snarlsbad Cavern, acquire the
Shimmering Widget and escape.

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BACKGROUND
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Of the Shimmering Widget, countless songs have been sung and
legends told. The most amazing object in the world! Delightful to
behold with its scintillating enchantments! Gifted to the dwarves
in ancient times by the gods of stone and fire... Once stolen by a
covetous king of men; later returned to the dwarves as a gesture of
peace... Its supposed history is well known by men and dwarves
alike.

However, some dwarves claim that it was lost during the
Mountainheart War when the Hero Stones were scattered. Some men
believe that it was buried with the corpse of Mensius the Sorcerer
(since he claimed to have studied it) in a secret tomb where it
remains to this day. Others insist that the Widget never existed
at all except in the imaginations of bards and storytellers.

Truth be told, the Shimmering Widget had remained hidden within its
subterranean shrine since the Elder Days, protected from the
depredations of men and dragons by dwarven cunning and potent earth
magic. No man knew its location. Even among the dwarves only the
venerable Dwarven King and his royal treasurer (sworn to secrecy
upon the death of his family line) knew the dark place of its
keeping and how to reach it safely.

But goblins thrive in darkness and know well, perhaps even more so
than dwarves, the caverns and deep crevices of the earth. They are
not overly concerned with safety underground nor do they fear the
stone trickery of dwarven evokers. Goblins are tenacious and
relentless in their pursuit of any prize. Thus, their search for
the Shimmering Widget, a quest spanning three generations of their
kind, had at long last come to fruition. The eldritch wards laid
upon the Widget shrine were finally broken and the Widget itself
was seized.

Upon hearing the news, the Dwarven King, livid with rage, demanded
satisfaction. "This is unheard of. It is an outrage! I demand
satisfaction," he proclaimed, "and while you're at it, find someone
to get that blasted Widget back!"

Scouts were dispatched and soon enough the location of the
Shimmering Widget was divined. Snarlsbad Cavern, known to dwarves
as the Cave of Woe, was the makeshift vault in which it was
guarded. No easy place to plunder, Snarlsbad was a confounding
tangle of goblin-infested warrens. The quest to retrieve the
Shimmering Widget would prove to be most difficult indeed.

And so it was that the Dwarven King selected for the task the one
veteran fighter most renowned for his savage fury in battle -and
this is how "Death's Whisper," Stormbeard's mighty axe, came to
cleave goblins once again.

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COMPONENTS
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Geomorphic tile gameboard representing Snarlsbad Cavern

 (1) Entrance Tile
 (1) Center Tile
 (5) Edge Tiles
 (1) alternate OPEN Center Tile
 (1) alternate BLOCKED Edge Tile

Gameboard images for printing.  You'll need to cut these out.

 Layout_Example.jpg
 Entrance_Tile.jpg
 Center_Tile.jpg
 Edge_Tile_1of5.jpg
 Edge_Tile_2of5.jpg
 Edge_Tile_3of5.jpg
 Edge_Tile_4of5.jpg
 Edge_Tile_5of5.jpg
 Alternate_Open_Center_Tile.jpg
 Alternate_Blocked_Edge_Tile.jpg

Player 1: The Hero

  (1) Stormbeard the Dwarf

Player 2: The Goblins

 (12) Snarlsbad goblins
  (1) Hrotgar the Ogre (optional)

The Treasures

  (1) Shimmering Widget
  (3) Hero Stones

 NOTE: Use miniatures or pawns to represent the hero, goblin and
 ogre units. Use chits, poker chips or coins to represent the
 Shimmering Widget and the three Hero Stones.

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THE OBJECT OF THE GAME
----------------------

HERO VICTORY: Stormbeard must enter Snarlsbad Cavern, capture the
Shimmering Widget and make his way back to the dungeon doorway. The
hero player wins the game when Stormbeard leaves the board with the
Widget.

GOBLIN VICTORY: The monsters of Snarlsbad Cavern must guard the
Widget and prevent Stormbeard's escape.  The goblin player wins the
game when Stormbeard is "killed to death," as the goblins say.

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SETUP
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 1. Place Center Tile face down. Spin it. Flip it over.
    
    NOTE: The Alternate Open Center Tile can be used instead, in
    which case the normal Center Tile is omitted from the game AND
    the Alternate Blocked Edge Tile is added to the Edge Tile mix.

 2. Place the Entrance Tile so the entrance hex (doorway) is
    closest to the hero player and the opposite edge abuts the
    closest edge of the Center Tile.

 3. Shuffle the Edge Tiles face down. Then, starting to the left of
    the Entrance Tile, deal them face up around the Center Tile
    clockwise. Obviously, the Entrance Tile and five Edge Tiles
    will encircle the Center Tile.

    When placed, each Edge Tile is to be adjusted in such a way
    that passable hexes lead to the center tile and the two
    adjacent Edge Tiles. If the gameboard is set up correctly,
    bounding walls surround the entire gameplay area (save for the
    doorway hex on the Entrance Tile).

    Again, do not include the Alternate Blocked Edge Tile unless
    you have already chosen to use the Alternate Open Center Tile.

    NOTE: Refer to the Layout Example (Layout_Example.jpg)
    reference sheet if these instructions are unclear.

 4. The goblin player places the Shimmering Widget and 2 Hero
    Stones on any gameboard hex.  Treasures may be stacked.

 5. The hero player places Stormbeard on the doorway hex and is
    given 1 Hero Stone.

 6. The goblin player places one goblin on each Tunnel Opening Hex.

    Tunnel Opening Hexes represent entrances/exits to and from a
    confusing maze of tunnels that only native goblins and ogres
    can use. They look like holes and one can be found on each Edge
    Tile.

    Optional Monster: If desired, you may purchase 'Hrotgar the
    Ogre' by "paying" two goblins. If this option is chosen, you
    must permanently remove two goblins from this game session.

    Optional Monster Placement: You can either place the ogre and
    five goblins on the Tunnel Opening Hexes at this time OR place
    six goblins on Tunnel Opening Hexes while holding the ogre in
    reserve. The ogre may enter the game later during any "Monsters
    Appear" phase.

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TURN SEQUENCE
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	Stormbeard Moves
	Monsters Move
	Monsters Appear
	Stormbeard Attacks
	Monsters Attack
	Repeat

1. Stormbeard Moves

 Stormbeard can move one or two spaces (hexes), or stay in place.
 If Stormbeard moves more than one space, he may not attack during
 this turn.

 Stormbeard cannot walk through cave walls. His half uncle Niftgrin
 can but that's another story.

 NOTE: If Stormbeard moves into a space that contains a Hero Stone
 or the Shimmering Widget, he may instantly pick up the item. If
 more than one item is stacked there, Stormbeard may instantly pick
 up all items in the hex. When an item is taken, its token is
 removed from the board and placed on the table near the hero
 player.

 HERO STONE SPELL OPPORTUNITY: "Quickening" (AKA Happy Feet).
 The hero player may activate one Hero Stone to move Stormbeard
 one additional space. This action may only be taken during this
 phase (Stormbeard Moves) of the turn sequence. (See "Hero Stones"
 below for a summary of Hero Stone rules and powers.)

2. Monsters Move

 A goblin can move one space. An ogre can move two spaces.

 Obviously, goblins and ogres can't pass through cave walls either.

 TUNNEL MOVEMENT: A goblin or ogre may ENTER a tunnel opening only
 if it starts its turn on a Tunnel Opening Hex.
 
 Any monster which enters a tunnel is removed from play until the
 monster player decides to "respawn" it during a subsequent
 "Monsters Appear" phase.

3. Monsters Appear 

 If there are any monster units not on the board (excluding the two
 goblins removed from the game if the ogre has been purchased) the
 goblin player may place one on any unoccupied Tunnel Opening Hex,
 one for one.

 This is how monsters that enter Tunnel Opening Hexes and monsters
 held in reserve (waiting in the tunnels) appear in the game.

 Any monsters appearing in this fashion may not move until the NEXT
 turn.

 NOTE: A Tunnel Opening Hex can be blocked by Stormbeard, a goblin
 or an ogre.

4. Stormbeard Attacks

 Stormbeard may only attack adjacent monsters and must either SWEEP
 (hit multiple goblins with one mighty swing of his battleaxe) or
 LUNGE (to instantly kill one goblin and advance into its hex).

 Reminder: If Stormbeard has moved more than one space this turn he
 may not attack.

	Sweep Attack

 Roll one die, divide by two (round up). This determines how many
 goblins adjacent to Stormbeard are killed. 

 The goblin player decides which goblins are actually killed and
 then removes them from the board.

 NOTE: The ogre counts as two goblins and if it is adjacent to
 Stormbeard as well, it may be used to take a "hit" without being
 killed to save a goblin. Single hits upon the ogre heal at the end
 of the turn.

 HERO STONE SPELL OPPORTUNITY: "Vorpal Axe" (AKA Snicker Snax).
 The hero player may activate one or more Hero Stones at this time
 to add one to three to Stormbeard's Sweep Attack die roll. Roll
 the Sweep Attack die, divide by two, round up, determine the
 number of hits then add one to that number for each Hero Stone
 that is activated.

 In other words, if one Hero Stone is activated, add one. If two
 Hero Stones are activated simultaneously, add two. If three are
 activated, add three.

 This is done to score extra hits -to kill extra goblins or to help
 kill the ogre.

 The only time that the hero player may activate multiple Hero
 Stones simultaneously is during a Sweep Attack.

 	Lunge Attack

 The hero player selects one goblin adjacent to Stormbeard. The
 goblin is automatically killed and removed from the board, and
 Stormbeard is immediately moved into its hex.

 Hrotgar the Ogre is not affected by lunge attacks.

 NOTE: When a monster is killed it is not permanently removed from
 the game.  It becomes available to the goblin player during
 subsequent Monsters Appear phases, as described above. The twisty
 warrens of the Cave of Woe boil with goblins and apparently
 Hrotgar has relatives!

5. Monsters Attack

 The goblin player rolls one die. If the number rolled is equal
 to or less than the number of goblins adjacent to Stormbeard, he
 is killed and the game ends with a goblin player victory.

 NOTE: The ogre counts as two goblins when determining this attack
 number.

 HERO STONE SPELL OPPORTUNITY: "Invulnerable Shield" (AKA Not this
 time, Hrotgar!). The hero player may activate one Hero Stone to
 block the monster attack and prevent Stormbeard's untimely demise.

6. Repeat

 Go back to number 1, "Stormbeard Moves," and continue through this
 turn sequence until the game concludes with a hero or goblin
 player victory.

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HERO STONES
-----------

 Hero Stones are magical gems that appear as mere rocks to any but
 the most valiant and true. Only heroes may evoke the enchantments
 they contain.

 The hero player begins the game with one Hero Stone. Two
 additional Hero Stones may be acquired on the gameboard during the
 course of the game.

 Hero Stone Usage

 The power of the Hero Stones is such that, under certain
 conditions, any one of three spells may be evoked from any one
 Hero Stone. This requires that a Hero Stone must be "activated" by
 the hero player, whereupon the chosen spell effect occurs (the
 special action is performed) and the Hero Stone token is
 immediately discarded for the duration of the game.

 Obviously, Stormbeard must possess a Hero Stone to make use of its
 spell powers.

 Hero Stone Spells

 1. Quickening: The hero player may activate one Hero Stone to move
    Stormbeard an extra space during the "Stormbeard Moves" phase
    of the turn sequence.

 2. Vorpal Axe: If Stormbeard uses a Sweep Attack, the hero player
    may activate a Hero Stone, or multiple Hero Stones
    simultaneously, to add one, two or three to the Sweep Attack
    die roll outcome.

 3. Invulnerable Shield: The hero player may activate one Hero
    Stone to block a successful monster attack and prevent
    Stormbeard's death.

 NOTE: Other than placing two Hero Stones on the board during
 setup, the goblin player may not interact with Hero Stones in any
 way.

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CREDITS
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	Design: Iikka Keranen & Rich Carlson

	Playtesting: James Ernest

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COPYRIGHT
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The Goblin Slayer game rules and all images contained in this
zipfile (Goblin_Slayer_v1.5.zip) are copyright 2008 by Iikka
Keranen, Rich Carlson and Digital Eel.

Goblin Slayer may be distributed for free but the contents of this
zipfile, listed above and including Goblin_Slayer_v1.5.txt and
goblin_slayer.jpg, must be included, with nothing altered or
added.

Goblin Slayer may not be commercially sold, or linked in any way
to a commercial product of any kind, without permission from
Digital Eel.

Send any comments or questions to:

Digital Eel
sais@digital-eel.com

This is v1.5
Date: 05.30.06-08.05.05

Be sure to visit the Digital Eel website for more games and other
cool FREE STUFF!
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